THE NEW FACE ON THE $20 BILL

For the first time, a woman's portrait will grace our U.S. Currency.  She was born between 1820 and 1825 as Araminta “Minty” Ross, a slave in Dorcester County, Maryland.  She was one of nine children born to slaves of two different owners.  During her youth, she had been harshly treated and beaten. The injuries sustained left her with seizures, excruciating headaches, and insomnia the rest of her life.  In 1844 she married a free black man named John Tubman.  Five years later (1849), her owner died and Harriet made plans to escape with two of her brothers.  A reward of $300 was offered for Harriet and her brothers.  The boys decided to return to the plantation, but Harriet decided to flee.  Not much is known about her husband except that they separated when she escaped.  Upon her return to Maryland, John Tubman had already remarried. 

At age 29, this intrepid woman we know as Harriet Tubman used the Underground Railroad to escape to Philadelphia.  Safe in Pennsylvania,  she said: “When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven.”  She risked her life numerous times as one of the Underground Railroad's most famous "conductors" bringing slaves to freedom.  Beginning in 1850 she made nineteen trips from Maryland to St. Catherine’s, Ontario, freeing 300 slaves.  Dubbed the "Black Moses", her track record was impeccable - never losing any of her charges or letting them return to slavery.  Bounty hunters were offered up to $40,000 to capture her.  That amount would be about $1 million by today’s standard.

One of the secrets of her success involved taking small groups of 12-15 slaves at a time to minimize any suspicion or risk of being detected.  Harriet tried to keep families together, but small children provided great challenge and danger – because they would lag behind, or their cries would alert those pursuing them.  To counteract this, she carried paregoric which would quiet the children for hours at a time.  If any of her charges had second thoughts about going back to their masters, Tubman made sure they understood her resolve.  A force to be reckoned with, Harriet carried a pistol, for self defense, but also a lethal warning to slaves that "dead Negroes tell no tales".  As a result, slaves either admired her courage fearful of betraying her. 

Tubman aided John Brown in planning his Harper's Ferry raid, bringing many slaves to Canada.  Throughout the Civil War, Harriet wore many hats – cook, nurse, scout, spy. Once the Civil War ended, she returned home to Auburn, New York where she helped former slaves adjust to freedom.  Harriet had previously bought some land from Senator William Seward which would become her permanent home.  Harriet Tubman married Nelson Davis, a Civil War veteran in 1869.  They operated a farm outside Auburn and a small brick-making business.  She also became caregiver for her parents and relatives, turning her home into a refuge for aged and destitute Negroes.  To support these efforts, she sold copies of her own biography and accepted speech engagements.  She was never financially secure and ended up selling part of her land to the African Methodist Episcopal Church there.  A home for the aged that bore her name was built in 1908. 

Now an elderly woman, her headaches had worsened.  She had brain surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and eventually took up residence at the home for the aged named for her.  In 1913 she died of pneumonia.  Harriet was buried with full military honors at Auburn’s Fort Hill Cemetery. 

For her efforts and contributions, it is no wonder that Harriet Tubman would have her image placed on the face of the $20 bill.  Andrew Jackson's image will be moved to the back side.  Tubman was one of four candidates submitted to the Secretary of the Navy for approval.   While the other three candidates were also noteworthy, Harriet represents an inspiration for all - rising from the bondage of slavery, a true freedom fighter and humanitarian, and a victory for all women. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/21/us/women-currency-treasury-harriet-tubman.html?_r=0
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/harriet-tubman
http://www.biography.com/people/harriet-tubman-9511430
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31251/harriet-tubmans-perfect-record-brains-and-opium-underground-railroad
http://pilotonline.com/news/local/history/life-of-harriet-tubman-s-husband-intrigues-historians/article_ac292748-a811-5428-bf33-ef6eda4bbea7.html